Petrol Tanker Rams into Vehicles Near UniAbuja Gate, Many Feared Dead
- Tanker reportedly suffered brake failure, rammed into vehicles and pedestrians during exam period
ABUJA, Nigeria – A tragic road accident occurred on Monday near the main gate of the University of Abuja, where a petrol tanker reportedly suffered brake failure and crushed several vehicles, with an unconfirmed number of students and pedestrians feared dead.
The crash happened at approximately 2:40 p.m. beneath the pedestrian bridge along the Giri axis leading to the university. A video of the aftermath showed at least six vehicles extensively damaged, with an ambulance seen leaving the scene as bystanders gathered around the wreckage.
An eyewitness and University of Abuja student, Opuruiche Ngozi, described the harrowing moment to The Whistler. “I wanted to enter a cab when I suddenly saw the trailer coming at high speed. It looked like it had lost its brakes. Everybody just started running,” she recounted. She added that the tanker struck many vehicles and people, stating, “It affected many cars. I don’t know whether the people inside those cars survived, but many students died because many people were just coming down from cabs.”
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The accident occurred as students were arriving on campus to sit for their examinations, which were scheduled in the morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Ngozi, who had just finished her own examination around 2:30 p.m., narrowly escaped the tragedy. She urged fellow students to use the pedestrian bridge for safety despite her own reservations about it.
As of the time of reporting, emergency responders, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), had not officially confirmed the number of people killed or injured. Efforts to get official comment from the FRSC National Public Education Officer were unsuccessful, with calls not answered.
The incident is the latest in a string of tragic road accidents in Nigeria, where petrol tanker crashes remain a recurring safety crisis. Tanker accidents are often attributed to brake failure, speeding, poor road conditions, and inadequate vehicle maintenance . Nigeria has witnessed several devastating tanker incidents in recent years, including a 2024 explosion in Jigawa State that killed more than 140 people who had gathered to scoop fuel from an overturned tanker . The Federal Road Safety Corps and other agencies have repeatedly called for stricter enforcement of safety standards for fuel tankers operating on Nigerian roads .